Jazz Recommendations – 2011 Releases

Featuring Tiny Review recs of:  Goran Kajfes, Miho Wada, Marc Copland & John Abercrombie, John Stowell & Christopher Woitach, Dave Liebman & Richie Beirach, Daniel Zamir, Ajejandro Florez & Tibagui, Nils Petter Molvaer, Randy Brecker, and Kenny Werner.

*****

The following is kinda copied from the weekly article I write for emusic.com, giving a rundown of mini-reviews of interesting jazz new releases.  I’ll post them once a week, adding some artwork and extra links and modifying the text a little bit.  When I write the mini-reviews initially, I’m under a serious time constraint, but now I’ve had time to listen more closely to the music and think about it, so some of the reviews will change, but some may not.  They were initially called “Jonah’s Jazz Picks”; the reason why is not a complicated story or a long one, but sufficiently banal to just overlook.

This was the second installment of my recs.

Let’s begin.

Goran Kajfes – X/Y

This first album just blew me away.  Trumpeter Goran Kajfes lives two different lives… one as a creator of jazz from that golden axis of 60s world & 70s soul jazz, and the second as a modern soundscaper of Brian Eno and Bill Laswell ambient compositions.  The “X” portion of this album will take you back to a time of joyous music that embraces avant-garde boisterousness in the same hug as a disparate orchestra of ethnic instruments.

The “Y” portion of the album is all about the warm fuzz of synthesizers and plaintive cry of distant trumpet.  Somehow it all works together.  When I originally grabbed it, I figured I would treat them as separate albums as sometimes be in the mood to listen to just the “X” portion and other times the “Y”, but I’m pretty sure I haven’t yet broken them up into separate listening sessions.  Highly recommended.  On the Headspin Recordings label.

Sand Boogie by Goran Kajfes by Headspin Recordings
Perfect Temperature for Leaving Home, Pt 2 by Goran Kajfes by Headspin Recordings

Here’s a link to Goran’s site, where you can hear some of the music.

And here’s his myspace page, where you can hear more of the music.

Here’s a free download from the album at the AllAboutJazz site, courtesy of the artist.

Here’s a link to emusic, where the album can be purchased.

Miho Wada – Para Ti

Naming her style “Japanese Punk Jazz,” Miho Wada finds a way to make jazz flute sound both romantic and badass.  Performing and training with a diverse group of musicians like Nigel Kennedy, Buena Vista Social Club, and Iggy Pop (among others), Miho sounds to be developing a very distinctive and enjoyable voice.  On this EP, she takes us through a series of tunes that displays her love of Cuban music and that have plenty of drive without blunting her light touch.  If you prefer a proper full length album, you can pick up her 2010 release Postcards To Your Bed.  Very cool.

Here’s a link to Miho’s Bandcamp page, where you can hear music from the album.

Here’s a free download from the album at the AllAboutJazz site, courtesy of the artist.

Here’s a link to emusic, where the album can be purchased.

Marc Copland & John Abercrombie – Speak To Me

Marc Copland (piano) and John Abercrombie (guitar) are universally recognized as two of the jazz masters on the scene today, and they do nothing on this album to tarnish their legacy.  Taking their time to express their thoughts musically, they create a serene ambiance that’s thoroughly engaging.  It’s an “A” & “B” conversation that the listener is made to feel entirely welcome sitting in on.  Released on the solid Pirouet Records label.

Here’s a link to emusic, where the album can be purchased.

John Stowell & Christopher Woitach – Ghost In the Corner

Origin label vet John Stowell and fellow Pacific Northwest jazz vet Christopher Woitach bring their complementary guitar voices together to make a very intriguing album.  Reminiscent less of jazz and more along the lines of Bill Frisell’s The Willies Americana sound, John and Christopher create an album that evokes images of back porches on rainy days.  Should have plenty of appeal to jazz fans with a decent collection of Leo Kottke on their shelf.

Here’s a link to emusic, where the album can be purchased.

Dave Liebman & Richie Beirach – Unspoken

Yet two more of the living jazz legends on the scene making an appearance in this column.  Dave Liebman (sax) and Richie Beirach (piano) have been collaborating for well over 30 years, dating back to their classic album Lookout Farm and then later to their formation of all-star ensemble Quest.  Unspoken is an album for the quiet moments after the city has gone to sleep and you’re still awake.  Hell, this album may even make a person feel like they’re being spoken to.  Album ends strong with the song “Hymn for Mom / Prayer for Michael.”  Released on OutNote Records.

Here’s a link to emusic, where the album can be purchased.

Daniel Zamir – Missing Here

Probably known initially for his albums recorded for John Zorn’s Tzadik label’s “Radical Jewish Culture” music series, Daniel Zamir has now struck out on his own, and he sounds to have done so with a confident voice.  Missing Here has a lyricism that extends an invitation difficult not to accept.  Backed by a strong ensemble featuring superman bassist Omer Avital, Daniel’s soprano sax has a warmth to it, even when the notes have some bite to them.  I’m pretty sure this album was actually released late last year, but self-producing music ain’t an easy business, so I’m not gonna penalize him for not being technically a “new release”, especially not with the music being this good.

Here’s a link to emusic, where the album can be purchased.

Alejandro Florez & Tibagui – Malandanza

Well, this is an interesting little find.  A mix of Colombian music and jazz, Tibagui adds Alejandro Florez’s guitar to create an intoxicating selection of tunes, sometimes languid, sometimes challenging, but genuinely enjoyable from first note to last.  Woodwinds, acoustic guitar, percussion, and bass.  Jazz fans of Diego Barber’s work should take note, and it should have some crossover appeal to fans of Calexico.  “Glass Dust” is a haunting tune that should probably be in everybody’s playlist, jazz and non-jazz fans alike.

Here’s a link to Alejandro’s site, where you can stream music from the album.

Here’s a free download from the album at the AllAboutJazz site, courtesy of the artist.

Here’s a link to emusic, where the album can be purchased.

Nils Petter Molvaer – Baboon Moon

Known for his jazz experimentalism with electronics and his sparse airy sound, Nils Petter Molvaer adds to his solid discography with more of what’s gained him an avid following.  Dark textures, ominous percussion, and wavering sound effects highlight this atmospheric album.  Put out on the Thirsty Ear label, which puts it square on familiar ground for Indie fans.  Prior fans of Molvaer’s work on ECM will have nothing to worry about, you’ll be safe with this album for sure.

Here’s a free download from the album at the AllAboutJazz site, courtesy of the artist.

Here’s a link to emusic, where the album can be purchased.

Randy Brecker with the Danish Radio Big Band – The Jazz Ballad Song Book

Randy Brecker’s trumpet fits right in with the crowd, and creates some beautiful moments of lush sound that just fly right along.  For those of you hesitant to buy Brecker stuff based on his output during the eighties, hearing Brecker play in a modern jazz setting, especially with orchestration, is a joy to hear and proves his fans correct when they praise his musicality.  Great stuff here.  On the Half Note label.

Here’s a link to the album’s myspace page, where it can be streamed.

Here’s a link to emusic, where the album can be purchased.

Kenny Werner with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra – Institute of Higher Learning

Kenny Werner is an outstanding musician and his discography should be explored by every jazz fan.  There are some disparate sounds throughout, as his sense of adventure and experimentation have taken him in different directions.  This album sees some of that, but keeps it in the ballpark of mainstream to make it an album that should appeal across jazz and non-jazz lines of demarcation.  On the Half Note label.

Teaser House of the Rising Sun Institute of Higher Learning by Brussels Jazz Orchestra

Here’s a link to Kenny’s site, where you can stream some of the album.

Here’s a link to the BJO’s myspace page, where there’s a whole lot of music to stream.

Here’s a link to emusic, where the album can be purchased.

Enjoy and see you next week!

Those were the highlights of the jazz albums that hit emusic for the week ending 11/01/11.

Cheers.

Here’s some language to protect emusic’s rights as the one to hire me originally to scour through the jazz new arrivals and write about the ones I like:

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks“, courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2011  eMusic.com, Inc.

My thanks to emusic for the freelance writing gig, the opportunity to use it in this blog, and the editorial freedom to help spread the word about cool new jazz being recorded today.

Featuring Tiny Review recs for 1982, Kapla Trio, Russ Lossing, Chelo Segui, The Four Bags, Vicky Tilson, European Union Quartet, Empirical, David Ware, and Marcel Saegesser.

***

The following is kinda copied from the weekly article I write for emusic.com, giving a mini-review rundown of interesting jazz new releases.  Once I get caught up on posting past recs, I’ll post them once a week, adding some artwork and extra links and modifying the text a little bit.  When I write the mini-reviews initially, I’m under a serious time constraint, but now I’ve had time to listen more closely to the music and think about it, so some of the reviews will change, but some may not.  They were initially called “Jonah’s Jazz Picks”; the reason why is not a complicated story or a long one, but sufficiently banal to just overlook.

This was the first installment of my recs.

Let’s begin.

1982 – Pintura

ECM musicians put out an oddly melodic album of avant-garde tunes.  The trio, composed of harmonium (Sigbjorn Apeland), drums (Oyvind Skarbo), and Hardinger fiddle (Nils Oklund) conveys a surprisingly whimsical take on Very Serious Music.  Sort of a chamber jazz trio interpreting old folk tunes.  I expect some people to say this isn’t jazz.  I also expect some people to place this album on their top ten of the year.  Released on the Hubro label, newly formed to focus on the Norwegian jazz and improvised music scene.

Here’s a link to the Hubro label site, where you can listen to a song from the album.

Here’s a link to emusic, where you can purchase the album.

Kapla Trio – Crossing

Well, this piano trio album might be a hidden gem.  Piano with a subtle flair for the dramatic, drums that don’t confuse frantic with loud, and a bass player that throws in some bowing just to remind us that it’s okay to be melancholic from time to time.  Would you like to know more about them?  Hey, so would I, but nothing is coming up on a couple quick google searches, so I got nothing more for ya.  Self-produced.

Here’s a link to emusic, where you can purchase the album.

Russ Lossing Trio – Oracle

A rare release of a hatOLOGY label album on emusic.  For those who don’t know, Hat Hut / hatOLOGY is an avant-garde lovers paradise.  On this trio outing, Russ Lossing (piano) employs minimalism and bursts of dissonance as the primary expression of experimentalism.  Masa Kamaguchi (bass) and Billy Mintz (drums) expertly fill out the trio.  Not a bad place to go if you’re looking to explore the avant-garde territory of jazz.

Here’s a link to the Russ Lossing site, where there’s some decent material to listen to.

Here’s a link to emusic, where you can purchase the album.

Chelo Segui – From Now On

Wanting to develop a jazz album in the spirit of new tango, Chelo Segui has given us an album that sounds unlike most anything that has come through emusic lately.  Much how Guillermo Klein provides his own personal voice to Latin jazz, Chelo builds on the rhythms and harmonies of his Argentinean roots and delivers an intriguing album deserving of attention.  I love when I’m browsing through jazz new releases and get rooted in place by an unexpected stroke of music talent.  Quartet of Segui on alto & soprano sax, accompanied by piano, bass, and drums. Outstanding.  Self-produced.

Here’s a link to Chelo’s soundcloud page, where you can listen to the album.

Here’s a link to emusic, where you can purchase the album.

The Four Bags – Forth

This quartet tackles a bunch of schizophrenic compositions and, somehow, create an album of strange pretty tunes.  The first track on this album is titled “Wayne Shorter’s Tune With All Different Notes,” which, to my ears, accurately reflects the sound and intent of this album.  The Four Bags ensemble instruments include bass clarinet, trombone, accordian, and guitar  This is either the kind of album I fall in love with or rue the day I took it home with me from the bar.  Fans of John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards should find something to like here, as would fans of Tom Waits looking to experiment with some jazz and jazz fans who have been having the time of their life picking through the Clean Feed label’s excellent output these past couple years.  Self-produced.

Here’s a link to Four Bags’ bandcamp page, where you can stream the entire album.

Here’s a link to emusic, where you can purchase the album.

The Vicky Tilson Quartet – Tales From a Forgotten City

Just a four song EP, but I thought I’d briefly put the spotlight on it.  Vicky Tilson is a classically trained oboist and pianist who became afflicted with a jazz addiction and turned to a career as a bassist leading her own ensemble.  Straight-ahead modern jazz, but with plenty of personal nuance to keep it from becoming “just another jazz album.”  Builds on the promise of last year’s debut release of Picture from Jitske.  According to Vicky’s notes, the title refers, in part to her on-and-off love affair with London, of how one can concurrently wish to leave a place and still grow nostalgic for a home that once was.  Or something like that.  It’s a good album; give it a listen.

Here’s a link to Vicky’s soundcloud page, where you can stream the entire EP.

Here’s a link to emusic, where you can purchase the album.

European Union Quartet – The Dark Peak

Much like having a planned day off to lounge around but too much energy to do anything other but go out and play in the rain, the European Union Quartet’s The Dark Peak gives the impression of an album full of purposefully introspective tunes foiled by the ensemble’s abounding happiness on recording day.  Sax, guitar, double bass, and drums.  Worth mentioning that for listeners who have difficulty accepting guitar in a jazz environment, definitely give this album a listen; guitar meets the ear half-way on this one.

Released on the O.A.P. Records label.

Here’s a link to emusic, where you can purchase the album.

Empirical – Elements of Truth

I absolutely love when an ensemble builds intricate compositions around seemingly simple melodies.  To have that melody to grasp onto while exploring the varied elements that comprise the rest of the song isn’t something to be undervalued.  This ensemble of alto sax, vibes (and glockenspiel), drums, and double bass presents some strong improvisational skill, displaying complexity without laying it on too thick, and making for a very enjoyable album.  Empirical won Best Jazz Act in the 2010 MOBO Awards; Elements of Truth proves that they didn’t let if affect their musical drive.  On the Naim Jazz label.

Here’s a link to Empirical’s site, where you can stream all or most of the album.

Here’s a link to emusic, where you can purchase the album.

David S. Ware – Organica (Solo Saxophones Vol. 2)

Recorded live at Chicago’s Umbrella Music Festival, David Ware gives a performance of solo tenor and sopranino saxophones.  I recognize that an album that consisting of solo sax compositions isn’t going to appeal to a wide cross-section of jazz listeners, but David Ware is pretty much a jazz legend, and anytime he puts out a new album, it deserves mention.  If you’d like to hear David on a studio album with his working quartet, hop on over and give Planetary Unknown a listen, released in June of this year.  Organica is released on the AUM Fidelity label.

Here’s a link to David’s site, which has some pretty decent material.

Here’s a link to emusic, where you can purchase the album.

And briefly, a quick shout-out for the Marcel Saegesser album The Last Place (Left).  It really shouldn’t be categorized under jazz, but this electronica-drone featuring bass violin and accordion was just too cool not to mention.

Here’s a link to emusic, where you can purchase the album.

Those were the highlights of the jazz albums that hit emusic for the week ending 10/25/11.

Cheers.

Here’s some language to protect emusic’s rights as the one to hire me originally to scour through the jazz new arrivals and write about the ones I like:

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks”, courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2011  eMusic.com, Inc.”

My thanks to emusic for the freelance writing gig, the opportunity to use it in this blog, and both the editorial freedom to help spread the word about cool new jazz being recorded today.